Tangled up in High Society
by Carmen Delta
Summary: Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. When Serena and Amy sneak into a celebrity party, they meet the men of their dreams. Will their lies cost them more than just their jobs, reputations, and blooming romances? S/D and Scami
1. Sneaking in

**AN:** ***Puts on announcer's voice*** Ladies and gentleman! I present to you... Tangled up in High Society! Today's chapter (or the entire fic for that matter) is proudly brought to you thanks to Kaitlyn Fall and Railway Station! ***Audience bursts into applause, Carmen bows***

**Disclaimer:** Nothing actually belongs to me now, since I witnessed that crime. Naoko gets SM rights, and Alicia Blade owns the characters Scott and Daniel ("To the Gentleman in the Back"). A truckload of cash - I mean _thanks_ goes to Kaitlyn for betaing and encouraging me! Woo! ^_^

* * *

"I don't know about this, Serena..." Amy bit her lip, glancing around the deserted corridor.

"Oh come _on_ Amy! You promised!" Serena whined, spinning around and clutching her friend's hand.

Amy sighed and tugged out of the grip.

"It feels wrong, what we're doing. We're going to get caught and we're going to get prosecuted and I'm going to have a record and no one will hire me and you'll lose your job and we'll be poor and homeless and living off the streets and –" Amy had to take a deep breath as her throat began to tighten. She'd never gotten in trouble before, and she didn't want to start now. She nervously smoothed the skirt of her deep blue knee-length dress; its twisted spaghetti straps and laced hemline were just right for Amy. She was never one for going all out on an outfit.

Serena on the other hand, wore a chiffon strapless, silver gown, which flowed elegantly to the floor in soft layers. Its bodice was embroidered with a sweetheart design, glimmering with crystals and beads. Coupled with the right accessories and her matching clutch, Serena looked stunning. She had even done her hair in two elegant buns, which ended up looking like twin pigtails with her length of long, blonde hair – and yet somehow, it suited her.

Serena tapped Amy's nose affectionately. "Amy, we are not going to get caught. Say it with me."

Amy took another deep breath and repeated Serena's words with her.

"We are not going to get caught."

"We are going to have fun tonight."

Amy's nerves did not lessen. She gulped.

"_We are going to have fun tonight." _Serena repeated.

"We are going to have fun tonight."

"I look hot and no supermodel can compare to me."

"I ...what?" At her friends raised eyebrows, Amy's shoulders slumped in defeat and she sighed."I look hot and no... supermodel can compare to me."

Satisfied with her efforts, Serena nodded and turned back to the corner.

"It's just around here," she whispered over her shoulder. "C'mon!"

Suddenly, before either could move, a loud rendition of 'Party in the U.S.A.' began blaring from Serena's clutch. Both girls jumped in fright and Serena dived for the bag. They were _not_ going to get caught because she couldn't remember to turn her phone on silent!

Fumbling clumsily with the phone, Serena flipped it open, barely seeing who the caller was and answered breathlessly.

"Hello?"

"WELL?" a man's voice boomed through the speaker. Serena jumped again and held the phone away from her ear. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Sorry Sir, I meant to call you before I left. I'm inside the building now, I was just about to -"

"YOU GET ME THAT STORY, TSUKINO, OR YOU'RE FIRED! YOU HEAR? THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT OF YOUR LIFE, SO DON'T SCREW IT UP...FOR THE BOTH OF US! AND IF I HEAR ONE WORD OUT OF YOU WITHOUT A STORY..." Serena winced and Amy shot her a sympathetic glance as Bruce Spork continued to rant and rave.

Serena's boss could be a real pain sometimes. Frankly, Amy didn't see why she still worked for him – Serena was so talented, she could get a job anywhere!

Amy's muse came to an end when the abrupt –and very audible- clicking of the disconnected line cut through the air; reacquainting them with silence. Serena shook her head to one side, trying to get the ringing sensation out of her ear. Amy took the phone from her and turned it off, placing it back in Serena's bag with her tape recorder, pen and mini-notebook.

Amy should have gotten used to being roped into Serena's crazy schemes by now. Always for an article, Serena would go to any lengths, do whatever it took to get that inside story. But this one had to take the cake. They were sneaking into a high profile celebrity house party, uninvited, unacquainted and probably unwanted – but Serena needed this. If she failed her big assignment....

It was all too easy to dream up a plan on how to get in, and how to get out; but how was she to collect the research? How to ease a conversation into an interview, unbeknown by the victim? Such things would have hindered a normal journalist, but this was Serena Tsukino. Genius extraordinaire.

Serena beckoned Amy with a finger, eyes trained on what lay beyond the corner.

"This is it, let's go," Serena exhaled with excitement.

Turning and grabbing Amy's wrist, Serena flew down the hall and stopped at a double set of large, white doors with a gleaming golden trim. Amy's eyes widened at the sheer sight of them and their beautiful detail, but Serena just gripped both golden handles and twisted, peeking inside. Seconds later, she slipped in, with Amy creeping behind. Amy gasped as she took in the large ballroom. It was _enormous_! The domed ceiling was so high, the details of the cherub-painted roof could hardly be seen. Thick, white pillars stood around the room, all in some sort of silent alignment – it reminded Amy of the royal guard by Buckingham Palace. Of course these pillars were more likely to smile than those guards were.

The room, whilst vast in space, was crammed full of people. Raye Hino, celebrating her 21st birthday, really had gone all out. There were celebrities and high profile stars everywhere. Just from where she stood, Amy could see a cluster of models standing together, some staring wistfully at the buffet table, whilst others compared wrist sizes; a bunch of business men arguing heatedly, and famous musicians gathered by the grand piano in the far corner, showing off their skills to each other – even if whatever was being played was drowned out by the loud music of the latest hits blaring from the speakers – all beings sung live by the singer on the stage.

Serena began to head for the buffet table; if she was going to be working hard all night, she'd need some energy first. A passer-by paused beside her and Serena froze, thinking someone had seen their secret entrance and were going to kick them out.

But it was merely a waiter, standing politely with a large, shining silver platter; housing a cluster of tall, gleaming glasses of white wine. Serena beamed and reached for the two closest, taking a shallow sip of hers whilst handing the other to Amy. It was delicious; Serena had never had such fine wine before. It was obviously very, very expensive. Not that she didn't expect everything to be expensive tonight. This _was_ a celebrity party after all.

Just as Serena was about to turn to Amy, a beautiful blonde came bounding up to them, stopping just in front of Serena with wide, excited eyes.

"Hey! You look like me!" she gasped, obviously amused.

Serena laughed. _The_ Mina Aino, famous beauty of the silverscreen and catwalk? It was far from the truth, but Serena beamed at the compliment anyway.

Already being well aware of Mina's killer fashion sense, Serena quickly glanced down at the blonde's attire. They indeed did look the same, at least above the shoulders; but the blonde standing before her was the complete opposite in body. She was tall and curvy, and had the best legs Serena had ever seen. They were accented by golden high heels, with ballet-like straps that criss-crossed up her calves, ending just before her knees. Her one-shouldered orange dress stopped mid-thigh and was very short in Serena's opinion; but it worked. The fabric swished as Mina moved, just as excited as its owner. Her long, golden blonde hair was loose, except for the top half – held up in her signature bow.

Serena licked her lips and smiled as warmly as she could.

"Hey, I guess we do! I'm Serena, by the way."

What she didn't expect was for the blonde to suddenly grip her hand and begin pumping it excitedly in her own.

"How're you doing, Serena? I'm Mina! Oh this is so cool!" Mina turned and began dragging Serena away, who threw a quick panicked glance at her friend.

Amy nodded as if to say, 'go on, I'll be fine' and wandered towards a group nearby. There were two men and a woman. Amy quietly stood beside the woman, trying not to draw too much attention to herself, lest they think she was eavesdropping. Amy caught the eye of the tall, handsome man to her left, who immediately smiled at her. Amy managed a small, timid smile back before blushing and ducking her head, pretending to sip at her wine.

"And what are your thoughts on the arrangement, Scott?" one man asked.

"Sorry?"

Amy looked up shyly at the man again, to see he was still looking at her.

"I'm sorry, we're being rude," he smiled, nodding towards Amy. "I'm Scott."

The others turned to Amy, and then as if deciding she wasn't worth their interest, returned to the conversation.

"Amy," she managed to squeak out, heart starting to race at the intense gaze of his eyes.

"How do you do?" Scott asked with twinkling eyes, bowing slightly in a mocking gesture. It worked; the tension was broken as they all laughed.

Scott looked expectantly at the woman standing next to Amy.

"Well you are not much to look at, are you?" she said, revealing a heavy French accent. At Amy's shocked expression, she reluctantly waved a bored hand in the air. " 'ello, I am Ann."

Amy raised her hand to offer it to the woman.

"Oh please! Do not come so close!" Ann stepped back nervously, horror crossing her beautiful features. "I am far too beautiful to be seen standing next to someone so....." She struggled for the word.

"It is true; she is quite beautiful, isn't she?" Amy turned to the other man, who was gazing in adoration at Ann, now examining her nails. He too had a thick, French accent.

"Quiet Alan," Ann murmured without even glancing at him.

"Sorry Ann." He bowed his head.

"Why don't you make yourself useful, and get me a drink?" she said to her manicure. Alan nodded and was off at once.

If this exchange seemed peculiar to anyone else, they didn't show it. Amy lowered her hand slowly, cringing slightly.

Scott laughed and draped an arm around Ann's shoulders.

"Oh come on Ann, don't the French get all intimate on the metro and everything?" he laughed.

Ann shrugged out of his grip, glaring at him.

"If you touch me again," she hissed menacingly, "I will have Alan 'unt you down and kill you."

"Calm down Ann," a new arrival said lightly. "He's just joking."

"There is no joking when it comes to Ann Moreau," she said before stomping off in the same direction as Alan.

Amy looked awkwardly back at Scott. "Um..."

"Oh don't worry about her, she's a funny one. Not that you wouldn't expect that, with her being French and all..." Scott stage whispered to Amy, who giggled in response.

A voice cleared their throat and Amy and Scott both turned to the new arrival.

"Oh Dare!" Scott clapped the tall, dark haired man on the shoulder. "Meet Amy here!"

He turned to Amy, who raised her glass in a subtle attempt to hide behind it.

"Pleased to meet you Amy, I'm Darien," he emphasised his name to Scott, who rolled his eyes. He turned back to Amy, speculating her over his glass of brandy. "So how do you know Raye?"

* * *

Serena laughed loudly with the group she was standing with as Lita blushed bright red yet again. At first Serena had been vastly intimidated by Lita – she was so tall! But it turned out that Lita Kino was nothing like her socialite-reported self. She was kind and gentle. The BFG.

Her chestnut brown hair, piled high upon her head framed her gentle face with loose, curly ringlets and her tan skin was complimented by the forest green gown she wore, which trailed straight down to the floor, a high side slit making its way up to her thigh.

Lita winked at Serena over her wine. Serena felt elated. Lita's boyfriend, Andrew, leaned in for another kiss, making Lita blush so much that she had to snap heatedly, "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" but the fake anger was foiled by more giggles.

When Serena had met Andrew, one look into his laughing green eyes showed nothing but carefree happiness in them, and she knew instantly she would like this guy.

He was in casual black slacks and a matching blazer over a white shirt – comfortable enough for him, but suitable enough for the party. Serena could even detect the slightest hints at a designer label.

"Okay, so I _did_ mean to get you your Chardonnay, but then I remembered there were a few bottles of Bordeaux floating around, so I got you a Bordeaux instead, since it's your favourite... So here you are," a female's voice warned as it approached. Mina reached past Serena to receive her wine. Serena turned to see a stunning woman with long ebony hair cascading all around her reached the circle. Serena gulped. It was Raye Hino.

"Oh, hello there!" Raye blinked in surprise at spotting the addition to the group.

"Raye, this is a great party you've thrown! Congratulations – you're sure to make onto the front page of the Style section in the magazines!" Serena enthused, desperately hoping Raye wouldn't ask the dreaded question....

"Mmmm," Raye mused politely, mind ticking over. "I'm sorry," she apologised abruptly. "But who are you?"

_That dreaded question._

"Oh, I'm Serena Tsukino! You probably wouldn't remember me but our fathers have -"

Serena was thankfully cut off as Raye began nodding quickly in understanding.

"Yes, I'm afraid my father has used my birthday party as a business venture, and now I don't know half the people here... at my own party!" Raye sighed dramatically and winked to the group. "But that's okay, because at least you guys are here! A dog may be a man's best friend, and a diamond a girl's, but you my friends, are my diamonds!"

"Raye! Don't Serena and I look the same!?" Mina squealed, reaching an arm over Serena's shoulder in a chummy gesture and embracing her, awkward angle and all.

The sudden course the conversation had taken made Serena laugh. Once she started laughing, everyone joined in.

"What's so funny?" a deep voice asked from behind Raye. Raye gasped in surprise as two long arms snaked their way around her waist and trapped her in their embrace.

"Daniel, stop it!" Raye laughed, trying to beat at the arms with one hand as she held the wine glass as far away from her dress as she could with the other.

"Say it," the voice teased. "Say it out loud."

"TWILIGHT REFERENCE!" Mina suddenly yelled, jumping and pointing a finger in Raye's direction.

Raye mumbled something quietly with crimson cheeks and it was followed by,

"Louder! I couldn't hear that!"

Raye mumbled incoherently again.

"What?" Lita leaned in closer, grinning wickedly as she was glowered at by her friend.

"I SAID DANIEL GREENE IS THE HOTTEST MAN ALIVE!" Raye suddenly yelled, half-furious, half-embarrassed.

The arms disappeared immediately. A tall and attractive man with brown hair and bright green eyes appeared from behind Raye. He stood at full height and winked at Raye, taking his place beside her in the increasingly large circle.

"There. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Raye rolled her eyes, missing the shared look of amusement between Andrew and Daniel. Serena was thoroughly absorbed in the excitement of the conversation. These people were nothing like their reported selves! They were funny and carefree and caring and .... just like ordinary people. Serena internally frowned at this revelation; they weren't ordinary people. They were rich, famous, upper-class people. They had the whole world at their feet. This was the perfect story! She could already picture millions of headings for her article in her head.

Serena's eyes roved over the group, catching Raye swatting Daniel playfully in the arm as he tried to kiss her; Lita and Andrew discussing the pros and cons of personal chefs vs. buffets and Mina, who was excitedly chattering away to Serena about Serena's gown. Where did she get it? Who was it by? Was it designed for her?

Just as Serena opened her mouth to reply to reply to Mina's thousand-questions-a-minute speech, a deep, masculine voice right at her ear startled her.

"And just who might this be?"

* * *

Review! xx


	2. Adds Ten Pounds!

**AN: **Hello everybody, here's chapter two of Tangled! Just in case there were a few people with question marks hovering above their heads as to why they were getting emails about an author they'd never heard about, my previous penname was SailorEm , so if she/I was on your Author Alerts as that....Well, hopefully that question mark is now gone, and is replaced by an excited exclamation mark?

If I could thank Kaitlyn Fall in buckets of something yummy and exciting for her betaing and ideas and support, I would give her chocolate. Yummy, yummy chocolate (the kind that tastes good, whilst still being completely lactose-free). And another thanks would go to Railway Station for keeping me alive with constant hilarious twitter feeds! Girl, you'd better enjoy that party tomorrow night for the both of us! And of course to the lovely, lovely, _lovely_ people who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you!!

**Disclaimer:** Yo Kazuki T; I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but Naoko T. has one of the all-time best anime and manga series in the world (Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko in other words - sorry for the obviously awful joke ^_^;;)!

* * *

Demi Lovato was just finishing her last song. The crowd of spectators cheered her on as she bowed, concluding her act. Demi waved and put the microphone back in the stand, ready to rejoin the party. The minute she was off the stage, another singer was on her way up. Before she could reach the microphone however, a beautiful melody began. It echoed around the large, round room, weaving its way into the very air, and creating a new, and very different atmosphere.

Amy sat at the piano bench, watching in amazement as Scott McAllister's fingers danced ever so lightly across the piano keys, making beautiful, harmonious music. She was in awe of such talent – raw too, apparently, as this was not his first choice of instrument. He began humming to the music, causing Amy's eyes to widen even further at how well his voice sounded. He must have been a born musician.

Amy suddenly became aware of how silent the room had gone and looked up. Everyone was staring at them. Correction; they were staring at _Scott_.

Amy's eyes roved the crowd, finally spotting Serena somewhere towards the other side of the hall. Serena caught Amy's gaze and raised her wineglass in a silent cheer, mouthing 'wow' to her friend. Amy blushed. Amy had blushed more times tonight than she had in her life. There was something about this man, this different, intelligent, musical, quiet, handsome man.

Amy lowered her eyes to the keys, but in that moment she caught sight of Darien Shields standing behind Serena. She liked Darien; he was genuinely a nice guy. It turned out he was Raye's half-brother. Amy had fed him some story about Serena's father having worked with Raye's before, and he seemed to believe her. She couldn't remember if that was the same story Serena had told her to use, but she was glad at least she was off the hook.

Glancing back down at the piano, the song began drifting to an end, the notes fusing together until one final, melancholy note hung high in the air. Silence followed for a few seconds, before applause erupted. Amy clapped just as enthusiastically as everyone else, and Scott turned to her. His face was flushed with excitement, and his eyes laughed at her. Still clapping, she beamed back at him, trying to shout over the thunderous applause a "Well done!"

When the noise had died down, and almost everyone picked up their conversations again, Scott stood up and held out an arm to Amy.

"Care for a breather?" he said, pointing towards the open double doors on the western side of the room, which revealed a balcony high over the gardens, overlooking the entire rose maze.

Nodding breathlessly, which was very unlike Amy, she linked arms with him and they walked across the room. Amy wasn't sure, never having been that good with guys and relationships, if the distance between them was the norm, but she desperately wanted to close the gap between them. To fuse herself to his side. She wanted to hold his hand and talk for hours, to stay up late and to ... wait a minute. Amy's inner thoughts screeched to a halting stop and her smile dropped. What was this feeling? She was acting completely out of character; she wasn't herself! And she barely knew the guy. He could be a... a... a psycho for all she knew! An axe murderer, who just happened to be good at playing piano and humming, and making intelligent conversation, and enjoyed reading and –

Amy took a deep breath. She was getting ahead of herself. Maybe she'd just had too much wine, or maybe she just had a slight crush on the guy, and was taking it to new heights. Whatever it was though, it was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

As they stepped over the threshold and onto the balcony, Amy inhaled the cool air. She could smell the roses below. Walking the remaining distance to the railing, she leaned over. She felt his hands lightly by her side as if making sure she wasn't going to fall, which made her feel protected and warm inside. She smiled and turned to him.

"What kind of books do you like?"

* * *

"I can't believe you!" Mina gasped, shoving Serena playfully in the shoulder. "I did too!"

"Mina," Serena sighed, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "You _know_ you looked good. You're just fishing for compliments now."

Mina flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll have you know the red carpet adds ten pounds!"

"Then you were already ten too little," Raye laughed, joining in. "Honestly Mina, a model of all people should be the least concerned with how much they weigh."

"That's not true!" Mina's eyes widened. "Do you know what kind of pressure we have just to maintain our size? If the clothes don't fit the girl, the girl don't fit the catwalk." She wagged her finger. Raye and Serena traded bewildered looks.

"Are you still talking about how skinny you are, Mina?" Lita asked as she approached. Her cheeks were flushed and her green eyes were lit up. No doubt she and Andrew had shared a few kisses on the dance floor.

Mina pouted with her hands on her hips. "You guys just don't get it!" Suddenly, her hand lashed out and locked on Serena's wrist. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom, I need to check my make up."

Serena rolled her eyes. "It's fine!"

"You don't know that!" Mina pointed to her face. "How do you know I couldn't look better than this? How do you know this isn't my all time low?" She began dragging Serena towards the direction of the bathroom. Serena looked back at Raye and Lita, catching them as they subtly high-fived. They both just grinned and made shooing motions when they noticed they'd been caught.

'Better you than us,' Lita mouthed.

"Not too long in front of the mirror, Mina!" Raye called loudly. Mina nodded and raised a hand in acknowledgement, continuing with her crusade.

Banging the bathroom door open, Mina strode up to the wall. At least, Serena thought it was a wall, before realising it was in fact a very, very large mirror. She put her clutch down on the counter beside the mirror and walked up to it slowly, as if in a trance. The bathroom was _big_. Well no, big was an understatement. It was _huge_! It had the same theme as the ballroom outside, with large white walls and a golden trim. It's thick, heavyset door was the only non-elegant thing about the place. One entire wall was devoted to a mirror, if there was any wall behind it at all, whilst another wall held a long, much narrower mirror above a marble sink. The sink didn't even really exist. The water simply slipped off the tilting counter and down the back wall. Very modern. The actual toilets, Serena assumed, were in the ajoining room, which was divided by another white wall and a thin glass door, which stood ajar. Serena was in awe by the sheer beauty of the room. And it was just a bathroom! She wanted to sink into the comfy looking sofa in the corner.

"It's so...." She trailed off as she raised a hand. Her reflection did the same.

"It's all right," Mina shrugged, opening her own small purse and digging through. It was amazing how much stuff such a small bag could hold. Serena, in a very uncharacteristic sudden act of spontaneity, spun around, keeping her eyes glued to the mirror as she twirled. Her gown flared up around her, making her feel very much like a little kid again. Finishing her little impromptu spin, she caught sight of Mina's reflection. Her hand was poised, holding a stick of lipstick just millimetres away from her lips, eyes incredulous as she stared at Serena through the mirror. Serena blushed.

"Sorry," she muttered, slightly embarrassed at being caught acting so silly. Mina made a face at her, but thankfully began to reapply her lipstick, drawing the coral coloured wax across her plump lips, spreading its colour.

"It's like you've never seen a bathroom like this," she said as she smacked her lips together.

"Well, I haven't," confessed Serena. Mina raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She dug through her bag again and pulled out her mascara.

"So," she began as she brushed the wand against her eyelashes, leaning so close to the mirror, it was in danger of being fogged up by her breath.

Suddenly, the blonde snapped up. "Ow!" She cried, hands flying to her eye.

"What? What is it?" Serena stepped up, worrying what she'd done.

Mina gave her a sheepish smile beneath her hands. "Sorry," she apologised, "I got excited and kinda sorta stabbed myself."

She lowered her hand and Serena laughed. Mina had a large clump of black goo in the corner of her eye.

"Here," Serena said, reaching forward. She held Mina's head in one hand, and dabbed lightly at the mascara with the pinky of the other. "So what got you so excited you decided to puncture your eye?"

Mina was blinking obsessively as Serena's finger dabbed at her eye.

"Well, I just thought…" She paused, struggling for words.

"Go on," urged Serena, wiping the last of the mascara away and releasing Mina. Mina stepped back and blinked a couple of times.

"Thanks," she sighed, reaching for her dropped purse on the ground. Serena was surprised the dress didn't rip, it was just so _short_. Mina slowed her movements. "I was just wondering if you wanted to come sailing with us on the weekend." She paused completely, avoiding Serena's eyes and turning back to the mirror. "With the group and I, I mean," she added hastily.

Serena was glad Mina wasn't looking at her. Her smile dropped and her heart sank. Pushing aside the guilty feeling in her chest, she pasted on another smile and replied as brightly as she could.

"Sure!"

Mina's eyes flicked to hers in the mirror.

"R...Really?" she stuttered in amazement. "You'd want to?"

Serena's heart warmed as she saw the hope dawning on the blonde's face. Mina Aino wanted to hang out with her? _Mina Aino_, who could get practically anything she wanted in the world, wanted to hang out with little _Serena Tsukino_?

"Yeah," she felt herself beginning to get excited. "I'd love to!"

Mina's leaned on the counter behind her and eyed Serena speculatively. "So," she began innocently. "Darien seems to have taken quite the shine with you."

Serena's palms tingled, a sure sign she'd be sweating in seconds. She licked her lips, nervous all of a sudden. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Mina nodded, spinning to the other mirror and admiring herself from the new angle. "He doesn't usually warm up so quickly to a new acquaintance. I wonder what's up with that?" Her tone implied exactly what she thought.

"Mmm, I wonder," Serena agreed, noncommittally. Her eyes caught Mina's in the mirror. She glanced away.

"Well?" Mina spun around, hands on her hips again. This time it was Serena's turn to avoid her eyes.

"Well?" she repeated as she gazed at her reflection. She knew the tricks it would take to make her talk, being a journalist. She knew them all. But she wouldn't let Mina play matchmaker – if that was even what Mina was trying to do. She made the mistake of looking up at Mina's hopeful face.

Mina opened her mouth excitedly, when the door swung open and someone else entered. The overpowering scent of the woman's perfume instantly alerted Serena to the mystery person's identity.

"Well, it is a small world, no?" Ann Moreau asked as she strode to the sink. Mina rolled her eyes in the mirror, and Serena stifled a giggle. It was obvious Mina didn't like Ann.

"Oh, hi Ann!" Mina said cheerfully, turning and smiling at the newcomer. Ann grimaced in return.

"Meena," her accent and reproachful tone combined.

Mina tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled to Serena.

"Well, I'm about done in here, so let's go, my BFF!" She linked arms with Serena and marched them out of the bathroom. The minute the door swung shut behind them, and the loud volume of the party –well into full swing- enveloped them, Mina leaned to Serena and whispered, "My god she's such a snoop!"

Serena cast a bewildered look at Mina, but Mina wasn't looking. Beaming, Mina began walking again, with Serena stumbling to keep pace, their arms still linked. And that's how they returned to the party, with Serena's clutch still in the bathroom.

* * *

_That green button is real fun to press I hear. Give it a try, and tell me what you think! ^_^ _

_xx C_


	3. Scott and Amy's Beginning

**AN: **Nothing to say really... For once. RELISH IN IT!

Disclaimer: I now understand why people put these in! Naoko owns everything that I don't. And thank you to Kaitlyn Fall for betaing!

* * *

Scott leaned against the railing on his elbows as Amy sat beside him, balancing perfectly. She couldn't believe that a man she was so attracted to had the same passion of literature that she did. Scott, from what she could tell, was watching the party inside; whilst she was just content to watch him – the way his eyes swung from one place to the next, never lingering on one person to long; the way he smiled to himself at the couples dancing in their own little worlds; the way his fingers absently played invisible notes as the pianist started up a familiar song – when she was sure he wasn't looking.

"So Austen wasn't to your liking, then?" she asked.

"No, Sense and Sensibility turned me off; I couldn't read anymore. Although my sister loves Pride and Prejudice – it's her favourite book, besides Twilight." Scott said, smiling to himself.

Amy nodded. "I thought the author's interpretation of the male characters was amateurish – not that romance is my favourite genre to begin with."

The corner of Scott's mouth twitched. "Oh?" he asked as his fringe of brown hair dropped over his face, covering his eyes. "So what would you call your favourite genre then? You seem to like them all, from what I can tell."

Amy's fingers itched to brush the hair away, to be able to see his brilliant brown eyes again. When she realised this, she blushed, which was quickly becoming habit around Scott. He'd probably think she was always like this!

"Mostly science books, believe it or not," she muttered, embarrassed. Scott laughed.

"That's cool. Nothing like getting to know our world better. Say," – he turned towards her curiously – "I was thinking of going to the book fair the day after tomorrow..." He trailed off, gauging her reaction. "You wouldn't want to come with me, would you?"

Amy's heart leapt to her throat. Scott McAllister was asking her, Amy Anderson to go to the book fair with him? Was this a date? Was he asking her out, or was he merely asking out of interest, knowing she might like to go?

"Yes!" she blurted out quickly, too quickly. She didn't even have time to blush before his eyes were fastened to hers again, a strange look crossing his features.

"You do know I'm asking you out, right?"

Amy tried to play off her nervousness. "Even though you've only known me one night? Don't you realise that the next time you see me when I'm not all dressed up, and our conversation has dried out, that I might not be all that you think I am?"

The corner of Scott's mouth twitched again. "So is that a yes? I'm not going to take it back if it is."

"Then it's a date!" Amy said, grinning like an idiot as she looked into the ballroom, full of happy people. Happy, happy people.

"Did you just take your eyes off me?" a shrill and familiar voice asked. Amy could just imagine the "Sorry Ann" that would follow. Ann stomped past the open doors, towards the exit, Alan hot on her heels, apologising as he went. As they departed, Amy could see Darien Shields walking swiftly and seriously towards them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she took in his expression. He did not look happy.

Amy's high came crashing down around her.

"Scott, can I talk with you for a moment?" Darien asked gruffly as he arrived at the balcony doors, his sourness contrasting with the lively background behind his dark silhouette. Scott turned to Amy with a bemused look.

"Be back in one second, Ames," he told her as he pushed off from the rail. Amy's heart jumped in an exciting and nerve-wracking way. He'd done it again. He'd called her Ames.

But it wasn't just the nickname that got Amy's stomach twisting in a knot. It was the look on Darien's face, the brief flash of anger in his eyes as he'd passed under the lights. Amy shuddered, wondering if it could have been aimed at her.

It looked serious, whatever it was. The two men were muttering under one of the lanterns, both faces hidden in the shadows. Darien was hunched over and talking fiercely, and Scott was poised frozen, listening intently. When Scott spoke, it looked harsh, and Darien straightened in surprise.

Amy slouched in her seat on the rail, squinting through the darkness. Whatever Darien was holding, whatever it was that he was holding up in Scott's face, it looked very familiar. Amy almost lost her balance, leaning so far over on the rail, but still, the faint nagging in her mind was that the item was important.

They both looked up at her, and Amy quickly straightened up, glancing away. Were they were talking about her? Her heart rate increased as she realised Darien could have found out that her and Serena weren't guests at all – they were intruders. Oh would she go to jail now? Were there laws for celebrities? It didn't matter; they could hire top shot lawyers anyway. Would she be sued? Would Serena lose her job? Where would they live? Certainly not in their shared apartment anymore - not if both of them were jobless.

Amy inhaled deeply again, hoping the strong scent of the roses would sooth her. It didn't – but the oxygen did help. She inhaled again deeply, this time starting to relax. Maybe, just maybe, if she could find Serena and get them both out of the party before they were caught...

She stole a peek at Scott. He was looking at Darien sceptically now. She glanced back at the roses. If they could just get out, they wouldn't get in trouble right? Security wouldn't follow them or anything would they?

"Hey," Scott smiled from beside her again. Amy jumped.

"Sorry," he whispered loudly, mistaking her action for fright, rather than fear. "Darien just got a little... antsy."

Amy nodded, hoping he would elaborate further. He did not.

"So, tell me. Did you inherit your love of books or was it a discovery of your own?"

So he was going to pretend that minor spectacle hadn't happened? Fine! Amy was all too happy with forgetting about it.

"My mum's a doctor, so she doesn't really have time for that kind of thing," she mumbled, glancing at him from lowered lashes.

"And your dad?" Scott asked.

Amy nodded her head sadly, feeling the expected sting in her eyes as she thought of the father she no longer had.

"Yeah," she whispered sadly. "He loved to read. But he died a few years ago, so..."

Amy kept her eyes low, waiting for the gloss of tears to disappear.

"Oh Ames," Scott breathed. "That must have been tough. I'm sorry."

"Were you and your dad close?"

Amy nodded once again, feeling a bit better. "Yeah." She smiled at the memories; receiving her very first book of her own; sitting by the heater in winter reading Alice in Wonderland together; bringing back a book for her whenever he travelled for business; days at the bookshop.

"That's nice," he said. "My old man and I are best pals."

"What does he do?" Amy asked curiously.

"Owns a record shop down by the beach."

"Oh."

"So, what do you do during your days, huh?"

Amy fidgeted with the hem of her dress, quickly recalling her emergency occupation. "I'm an assistant photographer!"

"Oh?" Scott sounded interested. "That's really cool! Who do you work for?"

Silence reigned in her head. She was pretty sure that if she were in some anime right now, crickets could have been heard echoing where her brain was supposed to be.

"Um," Amy thought quickly, coming up with nothing. "Oh, no one you would have heard of. It's a pretty indie-kind of business. Just Vogue and Elle and all that."

The nagging voice in her head was getting louder with every lie. _What?!_

Scott looked impressed. "Just Vogue and Elle? They're some pretty high ranking magazines, you know. Ever met anyone famous?" He laughed suddenly, realising what he'd said. "Of course you've met famous people! You probably do on a daily basis!"

Amy found herself nodding, liking the way his interest and approval seemed to settle on her. Inside, her lone, logical voice of reason was dying and withering away. "Oh yes," she agreed. "I've met Megan Fox and The Veronica's and all kinds of stars like that."

Scott was impressed.

"Who did you just shoot?"

This startled Amy. "What?"

"Who's on the next cover? For this month?"

The voice in Amy's head wished her a fond adieu.

'_It was nice knowing you'_ it sighed.

Amy began to laugh, slightly hysterically. "I can't tell you that! It would breach my contract!"

"Would it?" Scott said unsurely. He raised his hands in a surrender gesture, however. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

"I just think it would be better to surprise you," Amy tried.

Scott shrugged. "Well, okay. But it's not like I read the magazines anyway."

Amy felt his disapproval quash the excitement she'd been feeling moments before.

"Sorry, I-"

"Don't worry." Scott held up a hand, smiling. "So, is it fun, being assistant photographer?"

"It sure is," enthused Amy, desperate to earn his interest again. "Why, just last week, when we were working with Emma Roberts –what?" She blinked with wide eyes as Scott frowned.

"I thought you said you couldn't talk about who you were working with? Your _contract_, remember?" he reminded her.

"Oh! It's just, that, uh, with, uh –" Amy began to panic.

Scott was squinting at the wall, as if trying to recall something.

"Hey Amy, what's the name of the studio you shoot in?"

"Uh, well, we don't usually stay in - "

"You do know that Emma is here tonight? So if I was to just walk inside and ask her, she could tell me, right?"

"Scott, um, you see - "

"Plus," Scott continued, his brows creasing as his eyes seemed to shift colour in the darkness. "If you were a photographer's assistant, you could tell me what kind of camera he uses, couldn't you?"

"Listen, I think we should - " Scott rounded on Amy, who was suddenly feeling slightly light headed.

"Amy," he said seriously, staring hard into her eyes. "You are telling me the truth, aren't you?"

"Scott, I really think -"

"Yes or no, Amy. Are you telling me the truth?"

Amy gulped.

"No," she breathed.

Scott nodded once, stiffly.

"I had hoped Darien was wrong."

Just then, a tall, looming shadow plunged them both into its darkness.

* * *

_Review or I'll send you a million evil chain emails (is there any other kind) and you'll never tap dance again!_

_All in good fun ;)_

_xx_

_C_


	4. Security

**AN: **Well, this is the last chapter guys! Have fun!

Hahahahahaha! Oh I'm kidding, I'm sorry ;) A few more chapters to go...

**Disclaimer:** I hereby dis my claim that Sailor Moon belongs to me. Yeah. That's about it.

* * *

"Hey guys," Serena smiled, leaning on the doorframe, the party going on strong behind her. She held out a cupped hand in their direction. "I found these delicious truffles and thought Amy would like some. Amy sure does love chocolate!" She chuckled at the thought, holding her palm out for her friend. It was then that she noticed the tense atmosphere and the way that Scott was angled towards Amy.

"What's going on?" she asked, snapping from the doorframe, eyes darting between the two.

"Nothing –" Amy began, before Scott cut her off.

"Your friend here was brilliant." He turned to the blonde with a blank expression, his tone sarcastic and snappish. "You must be so proud." Serena frowned. "What did you do? Drag her along so you could split up and cover more ground?"

Serena's mouth made a perfect 'o' shape.

"Was she here to seduce the first guy she saw? Get him to open up to her, with her _obvious_ innocence?" He sneered at her, continuing in his stride. Amy's horror matched Serena's. "Was she just trying to weasel in some pathetic loser? Get a story out of him for you? Or did you pick me out especially for her, as her own little assignment for the night?"

"Scott!" Amy tried, reaching for his arm. He jerked it back.

"I really can't believe you, Ames." He sounded disappointed, before adding spitefully, "If your name even _is_ Amy."

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked, even though she knew full well what was happening.

"Like you don't know," scoffed a deep voice at Serena's ear. Serena gasped and stumbled forward in fright, nearly tripping on her dress as she dropped to a lower step.

She spun around. "Darien?!"

The millionaire stood above her, arms folded and glaring thunderously. She took an involuntary step back, putting herself two paces below him.

"Darien?" she repeated quietly, brows creasing.

He snorted to himself. "You can cut the act. We know what you're here for."

"What I'm... What I'm here for?" Serena asked.

"Don't play stupid with us; we know what both of you were doing," Scott said venomously from behind her. Serena turned, feeling like she was caught in the middle of a tennis match. Her eyes met Amy's; they were wide and unblinking.

"Tell us," Darien said in a bitterly amused voice. "How did you two get in, anyway? Did you take down the security outside? Mug the invites off real guests? Go on. How did you do it?"

Serena's heart was racing a mile a minute and it wouldn't slow down. The blood pounding in her ears made it hard to think. She licked her lips, opening her mouth and trying unsuccessfully to answer several times, before Darien nodded with unimpressed eyes.

"I thought so," he said. "Can't even keep track of the lies, can you?"

"Scott," Amy managed to croak out. He held up a hand, eyes trained on Darien. The wind picked up and swirled around them all, giving the girls goose bumps and mussing up everyone's hair.

"Do you think we're just toys?" Darien asked, disgusted. "People you can play with? Use and throw away? Is that how you treat everyone?"

"No! Darien, I -"

He continued over her. "You're a reporter!" He spat the word like it was poison, causing Serena to flinch. "And we _really_ hate snoops around here."

"Journalist," Serena corrected quietly, willing her eyes to lower, though they wouldn't listen.

"For?" he asked, descending down the stairs. No one noticed that they were beginning to draw attention to themselves now. Crowds gathered at the balcony doorway, milling around the scene.

"Gleam," Serena whispered, barely audible. But Darien caught the words – his upper lip curled.

"Scott, please!" Amy cried, taking a bold step towards him, but shying away when he threw her a scathing look.

"Let it go, Amy." His cold, furious eyes locked in on her frightened and tearful ones. "You're not wanted here." He turned his head to Serena, who was blinking back tears. "Either of you."

Darien wasn't paying attention to anyone but Serena. "You work for that jackass?!"

"Darien," she begged. "It's not like that! Please!" She covered her mouth as she stifled a sob.

The crowd around them muttered, unimpressed.

"I don't know what's worse!" He laughed without humour. "That you lied to everyone, _including me_, and got a story out of it," – his eyes darkened– "or that I actually believed you, and brought this on myself."

"No!" Serena pleaded, grabbing his hand in an attempt to make him listen. He snatched it away, and the sudden movement made Serena lose her balance. She wobbled for a second before slipping off the step and crumbling to the ground below.

"Don't touch me," he spat, glaring at the girl on the floor.

Amy was frozen in her spot. She knew she had to help her friend, but she couldn't remember how to move.

"Darien," Serena whispered, not even bothering to get up. She looked so small and fragile sitting there; her silver gown spread out around her, the picture of remorse. Amy's brain forced her legs work again, marching her over to where her friend was slumped.

"Serena!" she whispered, embracing her friend. She could hear Scott inhale behind her, but right now, it was her friend who needed her. Serena was choking on her own sobs now, and couldn't reply. Her wide, wet eyes were still glued to Darien. Darien was glaring murderously at Amy now.

"You!"

Amy looked up to his towering form.

"And you were in on it, too." he seethed between his teeth. Amy gulped; any previous opinions she'd had of the man flew right out the window as she shivered in the cold air. He was downright terrifying.

"Darien, what's going on?" an intruding voice asked. Amy remained cowering on the cold marble floor by Serena as Raye Hino pushed her way through the spectators, flanked by a tall man and the blonde from before. Her eyes flickered from Darien, to Scott, then finally landing on Serena and Amy. "What's going on?" she repeated, this time in panic.

"It seems there's been a snitch at the party all along," Darien told her coldly.

Raye glanced up at him. "What?" Her eyes passed back to Serena and Amy. Serena looked down in shame.

"Gate crashers," Darien continued.

Serena sniffled as she wiped the back of her hands across her eyes; smearing the black clumps of her mascara and eyeliner. Her red-rimmed eyes looked up at Raye as she shook her head slowly.

"No... Raye!" she tried, but her throat was too constricted, her voice was too thick. She couldn't speak.

"Daniel," Darien barked without removing his eyes from the girls on the floor. "Call security."

Daniel nodded from behind Raye and darted off into the crowd; who were still watching the scene intently.

"Did you decide what kind of article you were going to write about?" Darien sneered.

"Or who your first victim would be?" added Scott from behind.

"What is going ON!?" Mina shrieked, eyes shimmering with tears.

Raye put a calming hand on Mina's shoulder, who shrugged it off. She sidestepped her friends and deflated; the hurt reflecting in her eyes.

"Serena, is it true?" she asked quietly.

Before Serena could answer, Darien held up his left hand. Serena and Amy squinted to see what he was holding. Serena's heart seized when she recognised it. She quickly glanced at the ground around her, seeing nothing but spilled chocolate truffles, and realised what was missing.

"Recognise this?"

Everyone looked at the mystery object. It was a small, black tape recorder – the one from Serena's bag.

"My...!" she whispered, as Darien began to nod, his mouth twisting into an unkind smile.

"I thought so." He raised his right hand, and Serena recognised the silver clutch in his grip.

"My... bag? But how...?" She struggled for the words as her brain tried to catch up with what was happening.

Darien stuffed the tape recorder back into the silver clutch. "You've got your story. You've got your scoop." He gripped her hand and hauled her up. He leaned in until they were close enough that their breath mingled. "You can leave now," he told her quietly, eyes searching hers. Serena almost doubled over as the wind was knocked out of her – he'd shoved her clutch into her hands. Stepping back, he raised an arm and indicated the stairs that led to the gardens.

"Security can show you out," he said.

Amy rose gracefully to her feet, not meeting Scott's accusing gaze, but he spoke anyway.

"At least you can pride yourself on the fact that you were convincing."

Amy inhaled sharply, the breath cutting into her lungs. She would straighten things out. She would.

"This way," an authoritative voice sounded. Darien raised his eyebrows as if to say 'here we go', and everyone turned towards the doors. Three men in black suits emerged from the crowd, led by Daniel. He pointed to the girls, and the men pushed past Lita and Andrew, who had just arrived, and made their way to the shivering girls.

One grabbed Serena roughly by the elbow and another gripped Amy's upper arm. The third stood behind them.

Raye and the others gathered around Darien and Scott as Serena and Amy stood opposite them. The girls had never felt so isolated in their lives.

"Come on," the third security guard said gruffly, prodding Serena in between her shoulder blades. She jerked in surprise and began walking towards the stairs, being steered by the tight grip on her arm. Amy was not far behind.

They were led down the long, steep driveway until they reached the tall iron gates. Each had a twisted rose in the middle. The man not holding Serena or Amy pulled out a set of keys and put one in a panel that was hidden behind the ivory and vines on the wall beside the gate. Turning it, the gates began to move, opening towards them. It didn't take long until they were standing ajar and the girls were released. Pushing them out of the driveway and onto the street, the security guards smirked as the gates began to swing shut.

"Looks like you won't be trying that again so soon, eh?" one chuckled from behind the bars.

Neither girl said anything as they both stared wistfully at the balcony just within sight. It was empty by now, the others having gone inside; but though neither would admit it, each could have sworn that they'd seen a shadow in the window, watching them intently.


	5. How Everyone is Doing

**AN: Just as a little side note, everyone, this chapter is set about three-ish weeks after the last one, so keep in mind the time lapse.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the concept or characters of Sailor Moon, and in no way gain profit from writing its fanfiction (except the giddy/mushy feeling reviews give me). Scott and Daniel belong to the awesome Alicia Blade.

And thanks go to the wonderful Kaitlyn Fall for betaing this (as a whole).

* * *

Darien broke the surface and gasped for air. Shaking the water from his eyes, he glanced at the timer on the wall. Not good. "Come on, Dare," he growled to himself. "You can do better than that!" He dove back under the water and began another lap. He was frustrated – beyond frustrated, so he was taking it out on the pool. He'd already swum at least twelve laps so far. He couldn't believe that Serena was still on his mind. She was a reporter – nothing more! But still. She had looked remorseful at the end, as she'd begged him to listen to her. So upset, so regretful, so... _believable._ She could have fooled him. Well no, she had! She had indeed fooled him; he had felt that he could trust her. And look how smart that would have turned out; she could have done a full length, ten page, colour-spread feature on him.

And to think this all wouldn't have happened if Ann Moreau hadn't stumbled past Darien, and handed him his 'girlfriend's bag', he would never have discovered the truth. Until the article came out of course...

Darien slapped a hand on the wall and broke the surface of water again. His aggressive approach to relieving frustration was taking its toll on his body. He groaned and hauled himself out of the pool, grabbing a towel from the rack and tucking it around his waist. He needed a massage. He needed to relax.

* * *

"Thank you for purchasing at Nook and Cranny Books, please come again." Amy smiled at the customer, who nodded and took off with his bag. Once his back was turned, Amy dropped her smile and sighed.

"Amy, can you shelve the new stock?" her boss asked as he came out of the storeroom behind the desk.

"Sure, Greg." Amy stepped through the storeroom door and made her way to the back, where two large boxes sat, waiting to be shelved. She picked up the smaller of the two and carried it out to the rear of the store. She set it down on the top of a small step ladder and reached into her back pocket for a Stanley knife. Cutting open the tape, she pocketed the knife again and opened the cardboard flaps, pulling out the first stack of books and checking their spines_Twilight by Stephanie Meyer._

Amy recoiled from the books in her hands as a memory hit her from that fateful night.

'_Although my sister loves Pride and Prejudice – it's her favourite book, besides Twilight.'_

Amy quickly dumped the black books into a nearby trolley. She wouldn't look at those again, that was for sure.

She reached in and pulled out the next batch of books, which were taped together.

_How I Miss You by Joseph Scott._

There it was again. Another memory attacked Amy's mind as she remembered the man she'd met at Raye's party. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Every minute, of every day, something would remind her of him – no matter how minor or insignificant the catalyst seemed.

It was silly, very silly, that she could remember every detail of his face, every fidget he made, every shade of brown his eyes had, reflected under all the different kinds of lights, every crooked smile he gave. She could remember it all, so very clearly.

Her hands spasmed, and she dropped the collection of books. Amy sighed in a long-suffering manner, and bent down to pick them up. She scooped them up and moved to rise again, but, her head bumped against something heavy - the box. Amy instinctively ducked again as it topped over, landing on her back before rolling off again and crashing to the ground. Amy peeked an eye open. There were books everywhere.

She whimpered at the sight and reached for the nearest one.

"Amy, are you okay?" Greg appeared at the head of the aisle. He quickly walked to her side and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Amy nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"No, Amy. I mean, _are you okay?_ You've seemed... distracted lately." His eyes showed nothing but concern.

"I'm just fine, thank you Greg. I just had a clumsy moment, that's all."

"Listen," Greg took Amy's elbow as she bent down to begin retrieving the books. "I know things have been tough lately, with your friend quitting her job, and you having to move out and everything. But I just want you to know, I'm here for you. If you ever want to talk, okay? Just know that."

Amy gave him a bleak smile. "Thanks. But I'm fine. Really."

Greg released her arm and nodded. "Sure thing, Amy. Just let me know if you want a chat, alright?"

As he departed down the aisle, he glanced over his shoulder. Amy was slumped against a shelf – no matter what she said, he knew something was up.

* * *

"Dude, what is up with you lately?" Joel asked as he put down his drum sticks.

"Yeah man, you're so distracted, and it's messing up our vibe!" Chad added as his he ducked out of his guitar strap and put the instrument in its stand.

Scott rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know!" he moaned. "I'm sorry everyone."

"It's a chick, isn't it!?" Ken clicked his fingers. "I knew it!"

"Well chick or no chick, she's messing with our main-man here, and it's affecting our practise! How are we supposed to release this album if..." Joel trailed off as Chad made exaggerated cutting motions against his throat. "Um..."

"You want to talk about anything, bro?" Chad asked as he stepped over the tangle of cords and sat on the amp beside his friend.

"No, Chad. I'm okay. It's just this girl I can't stop thinking about. Sorry." He chuckled dryly. "That's no excuse, is it? Keep your eyes on the prize and all that, right?"

"Well, hey, no. If it's bugging you so much, maybe we can talk it out? I mean, we've written enough songs about girls, so we should know something." Joel got off his stool and began to pace the room.

Scott shook his head. Amy wasn't like the girls in their songs. She was different – unique. No other girl like her.

But she also lied to him. Something he hadn't thought her capable of doing. She had seemed so... well. _Nice_. So genuine and caring, so polite and quiet. Nothing like how she turned out to be in the end.

"Back to work, guys," Scott said, standing up again. He raised his guitar pick. "Let's play Lady Mischief, and just start from the top, shall we?"

"Alright," the rest of the band mumbled, their tones ranging from patronising to excitement.

* * *

"Excuse me, Miss." The snotty teenage boys from table five snickered as one of them called attention to the new waitress. "There's a hair in my drink." He raised his cup "I'd like another, thanks."

"Oh!" Serena blushed. "I'm so sorry, I will. Hang on one second."

"Don't make me wait too long!" the pimply kid called after her loudly, earning more sniggers from his friends. "I'm sooo thirsty!"

"Here you are," Serena rushed back to the table with a fresh, new drink in her hand. "Sorry about that."

The boys just laughed again and shooed her off. As Serena was taking the old glass of coke back to the kitchen, she peered in. '_There wasn't any of my hair in this!'_ she thought angrily – but she knew she couldn't say anything. Her hair had already been brought up when the cafe had hired her. But for now, she'd just kept it in the twin pigtailed style she'd had it in on that night. The night of the Hino Disaster, as she liked to call it. Not that she ever spoke about it.

Dumping the contents of the glass into the sink, Serena sighed and leaned on the counter, stretching whilst trying to ease the tension in her back. She hated this job. She'd never thought she'd end up working as a waitress – never in her life. But when she'd quit her job at Gleam Magazine, she'd thought the job offers would have come rolling in. She was a hard working, respectable journalist. She'd worked for Bruce Spork for goodness' sakes! That had to mean something, right?

Wrong.

No one had hired her. The weeks had passed. Serena had no money. Amy's low-wage job was paying for her university education the following year...

They were broke.

They'd had to move out of the apartment, too. Serena still felt a bit awkward about her current housing situation. Who wouldn't be a little embarrassed of having to reside in a friends' mother's house? True, Amy's mother was hardly at home; being a doctor and all. But that wasn't the point!

Amy.

The thought of her best friend made Serena groan.

Things were so strained between them right now. Serena was sure Amy blamed her for the events that took place that night, though her friend never said anything. Amy had met a guy; a great guy from what Mina had told her; and Serena had gone and ruined it all. She'd gotten Amy tangled up in the lies she'd created, and Amy was the one suffering with her.

"Amy," Serena whispered sadly. Her sweet, caring, quiet friend was hurting. And it was all her fault. "How am I going to fix this mess?"

Serena's boss entered the kitchen. "Serena?" she asked in surprise. "What are you doing back here?" She noted Serena's pale complexion. "Goodness, are you all right, child? Do you feel sick?"

Serena shook her head and smiled as brightly as she could at Marsha. "Oh no, I was just doing a breathing exercise. Heh, heh."

Marsha eyed her warily. "Well have a drink of water at least, you look so deathly pale!"

Serena took a new glass from the cupboard and filled it from the tap. She hadn't realised how thirsty she was until she downed the drink in mere seconds. She'd been flat out all day, and hadn't had time to stop. Marsha repeated her concern. "You're sure you're all right honey? Why don't you take a break?"

Serena refilled her glass and chugged down the water again. "Yeah," she agreed, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. "I think I need one."

* * *

_I'm so glad the site fixed their error, I've been itching to post this for AGES ( less than 24 hours, actually. But if felt longer!)! Chapters 6 and 7 are complete, so they will be up in the next few days. Hooray for that. Enjoy, and remember to review ;)_

_xx_

_C_


	6. Meet Mina Aino: the Pirate

**AN: **This chapter is slightly shorter than the others have been, as will the next chapter be. But have no fear, things do get interesting! After all, it _is_ quality over quantity, right?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Sailor Moon, I'd do more than just write B-grade fanfiction in my spare time. So, this is all I'm stuck with for now. Maybe I'll create some best-selling Saga, which can have movie, fanfiction, fanart, song dedication etc. spawns. Does that sound good? Doesn't matter; Alicia Blade and Kaitlyn Fall will beat me to it anyway!

Thanks to **Kaitlyn Fall** for betaing, and here's a random shoutout to **Railway Station**; because giving a shoutout makes me feel slightly popular. Hey, I have someone to shoutout! That's something, right?

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at Nook and Cranny Books, please come again." Amy handed the bag of books to the customer and glanced at the clock above the door. It was nearly time for her break. Eyes scanning the store for something to do, she spotted a woman by the magazine stands next to the entrance. The woman had long dark locks, and, from what Amy could see from her angle, wore oversized sunglasses. For some reason, Amy felt a nagging tug at her mind. Did she know this lady? The woman's fingers were combing the stand – perhaps she was looking for a certain magazine?

Amy swerved around the counter and approached the woman.

"May I help you?" she asked. The customer jumped, but did not turn around. "Are you looking for a specific magazine?" The woman shook her head and turned to face her. Amy smiled, hoping to look helpful, but when the woman gasped softly, she dropped the expression.

The customer lowered her sunglasses. Amy stumbled back. It was Raye Hino!

Amy hastily stumbled backwards until she bumped into the counter. "Greg?" she called over her shoulder. Thankfully, Raye was no longer looking at her, and had returned to the magazine stand.

"He's not here," her only other co-worker for the shift said, emerging from the storeroom. "Said he was going to get us some coffees, I think."

"Jeremy," Amy's voice came out strained and slightly high pitched. "Can you take the counter for a bit? I think I'm going to take my break now."

"Uh, sure."

"Thanks," Amy breathed in relief before skittering into the storeroom to hide.

Raye stared blankly at the stand as she gathered her thoughts. How ironic it was that Scott's friend worked here; the one from her party. Raye hadn't been sure if she should have said something or not. Thankfully, the girl left. That was one awkward conversation she could do without. Raye shook her head to clear her mind and returned to the moment with her original intentions. Finally spotting the magazine she was after, which was towards the top, she reached for it, having to resort to standing on her toes. Thank goodness she was wearing her comfy shoes today.

Extracting _Gleam_ from the stand and holding it in her hands like it was a prize, she analysed the front cover. There was no mention of her or any of the others, just the regular beauty fads and fashion trends that her and her friends usually started. Raye began flicking through the pages, waiting for a glimpse of a familiar face, but saw none.

"Hey we're not a library!" the guy by the counter called to her. Raye looked up. "Are you gonna buy that or what?"

Raye took one more look at the magazine in her hands and headed over to the counter. She could study it in detail later. The cashier smiled.

"That'll be $4.50 please."

Raye threw down a $10 bill and turned on her heel.

"Don't you want your change?" he called after her, which she ignored. After she left, the cashier pocketed the change in his apron, patting it safely. "Waste not, want not."

* * *

"All aboard! Arr, me hearties'!" Mina winked at her friends as they rolled their eyes at her pitiful attempt at a pirate impersonation.

"No, Mina. Just... No," Lita laughed as she patted her friend's shoulder.

"Aww! And I thought was getting so good at it!" Mina pouted.

"You know, ever since you changed your Facebook's language to Pirate, you've been a bit..." Andrew frowned. "Here Dare, lemme help you with that." He wandered off.

"Is it really that bad?" Mina slumped against her tall friend. Lita laughed awkwardly and steadied her friend, curling an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's help Raye with her things, yeah? You know she brings almost as much stuff as you do when we use the boat."

"Hey!"

"I don't need help," Raye's loud voice floated from the dock below. Mina and Lita peered over the side of the vessel to see their friend hopping out of her convertible and dropping the keys into an awaiting valet's hand.

Only Raye would have a personal valet everywhere she went.

She slipped off her shoes and threw them overboard. "I only brought one bag this time, guys," she said as she climbed the small ladder.

Mina and Lita traded both horrified and amused looks, but didn't have time to wipe their expressions clean before their friend caught them.

"Hey!" Raye snapped as she jumped over the last step and onto the deck. "I saw that!"

"Sorry, Raye-Raye!" Mina giggled, before eyeing the tote Raye was shouldering. "What did you bring then?"

"Oh, just some reading material," Raye remarked cryptically, shrugging. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she sauntered past them. "I'm here, let's get this party started!" she called loudly to the rest of the group.

* * *

"Darien, you've got to look at this," Raye said as she climbed back up to the top deck. Darien stood behind the wheel.

"I'm driving," he said without taking his gaze off the water. Raye rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses.

"I can see that, but there's nothing to crash into here, so pull over!"

Darien turned and glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You can't _pull over_ in the ocean."

"AHA!" cried Raye, pointing triumphantly at him. "You looked away! Now come over here a minute."

Darien returned his attention to the steering wheel. "No, I'm the responsible one here; I won't let us all hit a reef and die."

Lita looked between the siblings and sighed. She hauled Andrew up and pushed him towards Darien.

"Go make yourself useful, lover boy," she told him in a deadpan voice. Andrew took the wheel from Darien and muttered to himself.

"Did they even ask if I knew how to drive this thing?"

Darien took Andrew's seat on the comfy bench. "Well?" he flung at Raye as he leaned back, locking his hands behind his head.

A magazine landed in his lap.

Darien looked at it for a split-second and then it was on the floor.

"Don't bring that up again," he snarled.

"You ruined my birthday party by making a scene!" snapped Raye. "The least you could do is read it and realise what an idiot you are!"

"Raye, she was lying to all of us! You should be thankful I kicked her out!" Darien said, exasperated.

"Serena wasn't hurting anyone! And if you felt so strongly about her leaving, you could have asked _me_ and _I_ could have gotten security!"

"RAYE, SHE WAS WRITING AND ARTICLE ON US, FOR _GLEAM_! HOW IS THAT NOT HURTING ANYONE? HOW AM _I_ THE BAD GUY HERE?"

"For god's sake Darien, for once in your life, could you just _listen_ to me? Read the damn magazine!"

Lita felt like she was watching a tennis match, her head kept snapping between the two players. Even Andrew had given up steering – not that he knew how, to begin with – and was now watching them fight over his shoulder.

"For once in _your_ life," Darien hissed acidly, "Could you realise that I'm doing this to protect you?"

"I don't need to be protected! I'm 21!" Raye fumed, crossing her arms almost childishly. Her gaze fell on the floor, to the magazine in question. She seemed to deflate before everybody's eyes. "Just read it Dare, please."

Without another word, she descended back down to the rooms.

An awkward silence remained, settling down heavily on the occupants of the top deck.

"Erm, I hate to say anything..." Andrew said nervously from the wheel. "But how do you steer this thing?"

* * *

"Hey, Amy?" Greg stuck his head into the storeroom.

"Yeah?" she looked up from the sandwich she was eating – egg salad, her favourite.

"Jeremy just told me you were in here. Again."

Amy blushed, although she couldn't understand why. "I was just eating my lunch." She held up her sandwich.

"Egg salad?" Greg asked, although he already knew the answer. "My favourite."

"Really?" Amy asked, surprised. "Not that many people like it."

"Oh yeah, my mum makes the best egg salad sandwiches in the world. I am not joking." He grinned.

Amy smiled into her sandwich as she took a bite. She'd always felt that her and Greg were quite similar.

"So what's with you hiding out in my storeroom all day, huh?"

Amy suppressed a groan. He had to bring it up again, didn't he?

"I told you, I'm just having my lunch back here, that's all."

"Nothing you want to talk about?" he pressed.

"No, Greg, I told you, I'm fine. Please stop asking."

He held up his hands in defence. "Okay, okay. You know where to find me if you do."

"Yes," she nodded.

"In the storeroom, most likely." He laughed as he left, as if he found his joke hilarious.

Amy stared dejectedly at the wall. Should she talk to someone about it? She couldn't talk to Serena – she was going through just as much, if not more. And her mum wasn't really the best listener, always interjecting with opinions before Amy could get the whole story out. And it's not like she had anyone else to turn to; she was an only child, with one friend.

* * *

Darien anchored the boat and flopped back into his seat. He circled his shoulders a few times, easing his tense muscles. He didn't know how long he'd been standing at the wheel, but it must have been a long time, because he hadn't moved one bit – and he could feel it now.

He surveyed his surroundings with tired eyes. Mina was lying asleep on the bow –no doubt burning away – whilst Lita and Andrew were throwing bits of bread in her direction, waiting for the seagulls to arrive and wake her up. Raye and Daniel were inside the cabin, getting drinks for everyone.

His eyes fell unwillingly on the magazine on the table beside him. It beckoned him, called to him. It was begging to be read. The glossy cover reflected the sun's rays at him, almost winking at him. A light breeze drifted past and ruffled the pages slightly, never lifting more than a few pages off the table. He glanced around to make sure none of his friends were watching, and reached for it with one hand.

He sat at the table, flipping through the magazine with little interest. It was only when he'd reached the end that he realised something was missing, and started all over again, scrutinising each page intently.

He passed pages of _How To_'s and _Beauty Spots;_ _For The Reader_'s and _Fashion Alerts!_ but he still hadn't come across what he was after.

The second time he'd finished, he'd concluded that maybe she had lied yet again, this time about who she worked for. Darien brought up the table of contents page and fingered down the list of all the journalists who worked for _Gleam_.

Serena's name was not on the list.

* * *

_I love that I could incorporate the Facebook Pirate language into this chapter - I only mention it because I myself discovered it the other day (after being told about it months ago by a classmate -_- Sorry for not listening to you Eddikins!), and I am having such a blast with it. Facebook talks to you just like a real pirate would! It's crazy! Crazy stuff! And I am being entertained far, far too much. It's ridiculous. I love it._

_xx_

_C_


	7. Hello Bruce Spork!

**AN: **Hey guys! Thanks for sticking it with me for so long, only three chapters to go! The end is near; ahh! ^_^ This chapter, as I warned you in the last chapter's AN is a little on the short side, but don't worry! The last two chapters are decent lengths ;) In the meantime, why don't you run over to my profile and read up on some drabbles? Once you've read something that short, a chapter like this will seem epically long! Haha, wink.

Thanks to Kaitlyn Fall, who has beta'd every chapter and more. Without her, guys, you wouldn't be reading such brilliance! Well... not brilliance (I sound so stuck up saying that -_-), but Tangled up in High Society would not be as good as it is today!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters, and Scott and Daniel belong to Alicia Blade.

* * *

When Darien got home, he went and had a long shower. His muscles were all tight and he needed to relax so he could think clearly. What did it mean if Serena wasn't working for Gleam anymore? Had she been fired? Had she lied? He wouldn't put it past her now. Had she passed notes about Raye's party and those who had attended to a colleague? All these questions swirled around in his head, and he needed to clear his head. He never should have picked up that magazine; he never should have listened to Raye. Stupid boat outing – it had been her idea in the first place.

Just as he was turning the silver taps off, an idea came to him. He dressed hurriedly and stumbled to his computer. He opened up his favourite search engine and typed in Serena Tsukino.

It returned many results.

He opened up about ten windows, all of articles she had written previously. His suspicions were confirmed when he noted that they were all written for _Gleam_, something she had admitted to, but had come up inconclusive in his mind.

He read though all her stories quickly, pausing longer on her last one about Tamara Mitchell, written two months ago. He frowned. Her writing style wasn't the same as he'd thought... She was witty and interesting and... _flattering_. It surprised him.

She was kind in her words, and objective to other critiques of her subjects. She had a story for everything, although she seemed to have a knack for interviews – he supposed that was why Bruce Spork had given her _that_ job.

He went back to the engine and searched _Gleam_. Clicking onto their official site, he looked around for the Contact link. Finding it, he narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to speak to that low life. That scum-bag, Bruce Spork.

Cringing at the thought of having to actually exchange words with Leader of the Snakes, he picked up his phone. Dialling the digits on the screen, he waited no more than several seconds before the other line was picked up.

"Yes?" yelled a nasally voice, as if the owner didn't realise the phone had a perfectly fine microphone.

"I'm looking for a Serena Tsukino, a journalist of yours?" Darien asked in full politeness, mentally crossing his fingers, hoping that there had been some kind of mistake in the printing.

"Who?" the snarky voice asked loudly, bored.

"Serena Tsukino. She writes on celebrities and their –"

"Ah," Bruce realised, somewhat angrily. "_That_ little brat."

"Excuse me?" Darien meant to sound polite, but the outrage fused with his words, crossing it into some disbelieving question.

"No, got rid of her ages ago.," Darien could hear the man eating something, the chewing and sloppy sounds right in his ear. "Failed her most important assignment. Couldn't write the article. No," he stopped, before laughing harshly, "_wouldn't_ write the article, which is just a pathetic excuse for couldn't."

"She... doesn't work for you anymore?" Darien struggled to comprehend the fact, trying to focus on the man's words rather than his insistent chewing. He could just see him now, leaning back in his chair, feet up on the desk, licking his fat fingers clean...

"No, and good riddance I say!" Bruce barked again. He paused.

"Say, who is this?" Darien could hear the chewing stop and a seat squeak. "This isn't the Union is it? If that brat has gone and –"

"No," Darien cut in smoothly. "This is Darien Shields." He smirked in satisfaction as Bruce seemed to choke on something. "Anyway, I was just calling to set up an interview with Serena like we had previously discussed, but since she no longer works for you..." He trailed off, letting the implication sink in. "That's okay, maybe I'll try _Faux._" He was of course, referring to a rival magazine.

"Like bloody hell you will –" Darien cut Bruce Spork off by disconnecting the call.

Serena had lost her job for him. He felt guilty about that at least, he wasn't totally heartless. But that didn't lesson his anger towards her by much. He wondered if she was working for another magazine or newspaper... If only he knew how to find her.

"You know, you don't have to go to all that trouble," a female's voice remarked from his shoulder. Darien jumped in his seat and spun around to find his sister straightening to her full height.

"Raye?" he asked. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"The front door was unlocked..."

The front door was unlocked? He must have been _really_ distracted.

"What are you doing here?"

Raye smiled and began to walk out the door, and Darien had no choice but to follow her. "I just wanted to see you, bro. See how you were holding up."

"Holding up?"

They made their way down the grand spiral stairs and turned into the kitchen. Raye dumped her bag and keys on the island bench and gestured for Darien to take a seat. When he didn't move, she pointed to the stool, "Sit."He did so; unsure as to why he was taking orders in his own house.

"Listen, if you're trying to find Serena," she began as she opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, "I know where to start."

"I'm not looking for her, I was just... checking up to make sure she hadn't lied about who she worked for."

Raye nodded. "Right, sure. I believe you." Her tone clearly implied she did not.

"Really, Raye," Darien took the jug of juice from her hands and began to shake it while she reached for the glasses, "I wasn't looking for her."

His half-sister shrugged. "Okay then. But if you ever want to find out, all you have to do is ask." She smiled to herself in a secretive way as she took the jug back and began pouring the drinks.

They drank in silence for several moments, each regarding the room as if it were the most interesting thing they'd ever seen. After some time, it was Darien who broke the silence.

"Fine." He heaved a sigh. "Where can I find her?"

Raye grabbed her keys.

* * *

Amy put the last book on the shelf and rubbed her temples. Today was just one of those days; uninteresting and long. Goodness, it was long. As Amy wandered the store, looking for anything she could do, she approached the magazine stand. She looked for any sign of disturbance, wondering which magazine Raye Hino had been looking for, but she wasn't stupid; she knew what she would have bought.

A couple entered through the door and stood behind her, talking together in hushed voices. Amy pretended she was busy rearranging the magazines in the stand, trying not to listen to their conversation. Whatever it was, it sounded like the woman wanted the man to go in and find something. Amy heard him stumble, and snap at her for pushing him, but she just snorted and told him she was going to do some last minute shopping before closing time. He muttered something darkly under his breath and the woman giggled. High heels clicking on the linoleum floor outside the shop told Amy that the woman was leaving. The man groaned and swiftly headed to the back of the shop. Amy smoothened her apron, tucked her hair behind her ears and straightened her shoulders, before turning around to find the man. She decided to start at the obvious, and peek into the first aisle, the medical, self-help and home remedies section. Amy could see the retreating figure of a tall, dark haired man, and she quietly jogged to catch up.

When she had finally caught up to him, she cleared her throat and pasted on a smile. "May I help you? Are you looking for a certain book?"

The man paused mid step and turned around to face her. Amy felt herself pale. Oh, this day was just getting even worse by the second.

Because standing in aisle one of Nook and Cranny Books, was none other than Darien Shields.

* * *

_Please don't forget to review, I really do love them (and your opinion does matter!)._

_xx_

_Carmen_


	8. Unforgettable

**AN: **Ahh! Sorry guys, I made a typo in the last chapter's AN. When I said only three chapters to go, I meant _including_ the one below (chapter 7)! I later realised it came across as three more after the updated one, so let me clear this up for you - this is the **second last** chapter. All will be resolved soon enough! I am halfway (or three quarters) through writing chapter 9, so hopefully I will be able to finish that pronto and have it out to you guys as soon as possible. I'm so eager to start my next fic, it's had a ton of research dedicated to it (months worth, beleive me), so I'm really excited for it to start! And then once that's done, I have a massive, 30+ chapter (hopefully) novel-length fic after that (think the length of Aysel, or Subject to Change), so I have heaps to keep me itching to write. Have a wonderful day (or night if your timezone is anywhere near mine! It's 10:15pm here!) everyone!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sailor Moon. Cbb to elaborate cleverly.

* * *

Scott strummed his fingers against his acoustic.

_The sound of your voice,_

_The smile on your lips,_

He couldn't stop thinking about Amy. Every thought he had, it was about her.

_I can't forget you; I've never felt like this._

_I may not know who you really are inside, _

_but I know, I'll find the girl who I met that night._

_So clear in my mind, the image of you,_

_Fidgeting with your dress, so blue._

_You're unforgettable, unforgettable._

He'd come up with the music late last night, and just playing it on his guitar made it all the more real. The lyrics were no problem, he could always make them up as he went along; but these lyrics were the most heartfelt he'd ever imagined.

_Am I dreaming of a fantasy, or did that night mean something more to me._

_Than what I'm willing to admit, _

_To my memory, your image I commit._

_In my mind, so very clear. Amy, oh Amy, I miss you, I miss you._

_You're unforgettable. Unforgettable. _

When the song finished, Scott remained still, sitting on his bed. He didn't know how long he sat there for, but the shadow of the day crept along his room, signalling the passing time. As he reminisced in memories of Amy; tucking her hair behind her ears with dainty little hands, smoothing out her skirt, laughing freely at something he'd said, he realised with a pang that he did miss her. More than he should.

_She didn't seem the type to lie,_ his self conscience argued. _And you never gave her a chance to explain. You cut her off every time she tried to defend herself._

Just then, his mobile rang, jolting Scott out of his reverie. Placing the guitar down on the quilt beside him, he stretched for the phone on his bedside table.

"Hello?" he answered, before checking caller ID.

"Scott!" a male voice breathed in relief. "Listen, I think I've made a huge mistake."

"Darien?" Scott guessed, recognising the voice, but not the tone. Since when did Darien Shields ever have something to be regretful about?

"Scott, I think I made a huge mistake at Raye's party." Darien repeated.

"What do you mean?" A million different scenario's rushed through Scott's mind.

"I was wrong about Serena."

"Amy's friend?" He didn't remember the blonde too much; it was Amy he was focused on.

"Yeah. Which means I was wrong about both of them. She wasn't the reporter I thought she was."

"But they still snuck in, didn't they? Doesn't that seem a little... extreme to you?"

"Scott," Darien laughed. "I could care less about that minor detail right now! If you'd read the stories Serena has written - _had _written," he corrected himself, "you would understand."

Scott nodded to himself, before remembering that Darien wasn't in the room with him. "I know what you mean," he agreed.

"You do?" Darien asked, half-relieved, half-surprised.

"Yeah. Like, on one hand, you're blaming yourself for what happened, because you know you reacted very badly, and things could have ended much better than how they had. But on the other hand, you also know that she wasn't honest with you from the beginning, and that hurts. You thought you'd finally found someone who you could connect with." He had to inhale deeply, for his speech had been quite long. "And -"

"Tell me something, Scott," Darien asked slowly on the other end of the line. "Are you in love with Amy?"

Scott let out a shaky laugh. "No! I just. I just... I miss her. I can't stop thinking about her. She's different from any other girl I've met! And even though she lied to me, a part of me – a big part – still wants to see her. How wrong is that, man?"

"No, I feel pretty much the same way about her friend. If I could have 5c for every time I thought about Serena, I'd be a millionaire."

"But you _are_ a millionaire," Scott grinned. The both laughed for a few seconds, before it died down and they were left with one very important question. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"I'm going to see Serena." Darien answered determinedly. This surprised Scott.

"_You're_ going to go to _Gleam headquarters_?"

Darien scoffed. "No, it doesn't matter, because she doesn't work there anymore."

"How do you know that? How do you know where to find her then?"

"Amy told me." Darien could hear Scott's intake of breath through the receiver.

"Amy? You've spoken to Amy?" Scott asked as he got off the bed and began looking around the room for his shoes. "Where?"

"She works downtown, in a bookshop on Carmen Drive. You should go see her, she might talk to you. Whether Serena talks to _me_ is another issue." Darien rattled off the address and Scott thanked him, before disconnecting the call and heading for the door.

"I'll see you guys later, okay? Just got to run an errand!" His two roommates were lazing about on the lounge and floor with hangovers.

"Not so loud!" Joel moaned from under the coffee table.

"And can you get us some aspirin?" Chad asked from the couch, wincing as the door was slammed shut behind Scott.

* * *

Scott parked on the opposite side of the road and crossed on foot. He was walking up to the doors of what looked like the beginning of a mini-mall when he saw the sign. Nook and Cranny Books. Running a hand nervously through his brown hair, he took a deep breath and entered.

The minute he entered, he saw her – she stood out to him like a rift in a rock song. He exhaled in relief; she was exactly how he remembered her. He grabbed a book on a shelf nearby and wandered down the aisle, under the pretence that he was actually looking to buy. A store employee by the counter had seen him, but he was currently caught up assisting an elderly couple, so he called for Amy. Scott's spirits lifted as she heard her approaching, and he quickly looked back to the shelf he was standing in front of.

Amy could see the customer scrutinising over a section on the shelf and braved a smile. After her recent run ins with Darien and Raye, she was timid when approaching the customers, just in case they turned out to be another attendant of the party. Imagine; of of all people, _he_ turned out to be in the shop! Amy would have been torn between delight and anxiety.

"May I help you?"

The tall man turned to her as if he hadn't heard her arrival, and a wide grin spread over his face.

"Why hello, Amy."

Amy faltered in her steps several paces away. "Scott?" Her eyes dropped to the book in his hands for something to say. She looked back up at him. "Sense and Sensibility?"

His eyes dropped to the book in his hands, as if he hadn't seen it before. His brows furrowed for a small second, before he looked back up at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, you know it's my favourite." His tone was teasing.

What was he doing here? Why was he talking to her? Had Darien said something to him? Had Raye said something to him? "Um..." for the first time in her life, Amy didn't know what to say. "Why are you here?" she finally blurted.

Scott shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and ran a hand through his hair. He'd already rehearsed what to say to her when he had been in the car, but the minute he'd seen her, the speech had gone right out the window. He decided to start with what needed to be said; what needed to be cleared up before anything else. "I never gave you a chance to explain yourself. At Raye's party," he added unnecessarily, as if she had forgotten. "I pushed you away when you tried to reason with me, which I now regret. And for reasons I can't fathom, you're always on my mind." Amy frowned in confusion. "So I wanted to see you. And to give you the chance to explain ."

"Scott," Amy began, glancing away. "I don't... I mean, I can't..." She shrugged, out of things to say.

"Come for a coffee with me, Ames. I promise I'll hear you out. I just want to see you again. Please?"

Amy looked back at him, and met his pleading gaze. Why did he want to hear her out? Wasn't she the "liar"?

"Well... okay," she shrugged, hoping to not appear as elated as she actually was. Inside, her heart soared at the prospect of things turning out okay. She was getting another chance to talk with Scott again.

"When's your lunch break?" Scott smiled, putting the book on the shelf and glancing at his watch.

Amy smiled back, nervous butterflies dancing in her stomach. "12.30."

"I'll see you then." He smiled at her and swept past. As soon as he was out of sight, Amy slumped against the heavy bookshelves and grinned like a madwoman. Could things with Scott be back on track?

* * *

Darien checked the small piece of paper he clutched in his hands one more time.

_**Cafe Fiore**_

_**97 Blade Street**_

_**Between the flower shop and Railway Station entrance.**_

_**Works between 7am and 6pm.**_

At first, Amy had been reluctant to give Darien Serena's whereabouts, but he'd soon wore her down when he explained how he wanted to apologise for his rash behaviour. He'd found out she'd quit the magazine and just wanted to talk. Amy had threatened him with bodily harm if he'd hurt her, which had seemed uncharacteristically like her, but Darien hadn't judged her. She was her best friend after all.

He followed the numbers on the shop fronts until he stood in front of number 96. Looking across the road, he spotted the flower shop Amy had mentioned and followed the store entrances until his eyes rested on a cafe front window. He crossed with a sense of anticipation growing in his stomach. He could see her flowing golden hair as she served someone by the window inside and he couldn't help smiling. As he took one, last reassuring deep breath, he reached for the handle and pulled it back, entering the cool atmosphere of Cafe Fiore.

* * *

_Hey, if you got any of the four references I snuck into this chapter, review and tell me! Also, if you liked Scott's song (ooh! Can I copywrite that? ^_^), please tell me. I spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with the right kind of message, and ended up with several crappy drafts and no song. But in the end, as you can see, all worked out well. And once again, please review!_

_xx _

_Carmen-chan!_


	9. Second Chances

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* * *

**

**AN: **Woops, sorry folks! ^_^ One more chapter to go, I promise! I didn't end it as well as I'd thought (and now I just want to finish it so I can begin Basic Brain Anatomy 101), so bear with me. Hugs and kisses all round, especially to Kaitlyn Fall who has been beta-ing the last two chapters in difficult circumstances, so why don't we all give her a warm, grateful round of applause?** *Readers all clap and even give her a standing ovation*** Alright, alright, settle down now!

**Disclaimer: **Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon and all the characters belonging to it, and Alicia Blade owns the two characters Scott and Daniel from her fanfic To The Gentleman in The Back. Speaking of disclaimers, I wish a certain hot, Guardian boy was mine...

* * *

Serena leant on the counter for a moment's rest and glared at the air conditioner. It was stuck on freezing, which was really annoying. Despite the cool blow of air in her face, Serena was feeling a little hot, under the pressure. It was a busy day and they were one waitress down; Jenny had called in sick earlier that morning.

"Serena, this goes to table four," Marsha indicated as she handed a now-attentive Serena two heavy plates, "and this tray goes to table two," she added, gesturing to the tray of drinks. Serena nodded and balanced both plates on her left as she held up the tray in her right. Walking in the thin space between tables was tricky enough, but carrying something through it was a whole other story. Serena wobbled as she missed a step, heart leaping to her throat, but managed to collect herself. Now if she could just maintain this balance...

"AHH!"

**Smash!**

Marsha rushed out of the kitchen and around the counter to see her new waitress sprawled on the floor, surrounded by broken glass. The group of teenage boys at table three beside her laughed.

"My goodness! Serena, are you alright?" Marsha gasped, hurrying to aid her new employee. Serena nodded with slight tears in her eyes. She hadn't just lost balance; she'd tripped on something...

"You think it's funny to trip someone over?" A menacing male voice asked loudly, cutting the boy's laughter to a halt immediately. Serena gasped as she recognised the voice. It couldn't be... "Did you see what she was carrying?" Large, warm hands picked Serena up by her elbows. Maybe it was a good thing the air conditioner was stuck, with all the layers Serena was wearing; it had protected her from the brunt of the glass. "What you did was _dangerous_!"

"But we haven't even got our drinks yet! She's so slow!" whined the bravest of the boys. Darien's eyes flashed dangerously and he loomed over the kid, who gulped.

"You lot," Marsha cut in, waving her hand at them. "Will stay put. You will be answering personally to our owner when I inform him of what you just did."

Darien looked at Serena, who was looking far off into the distance. Why was Darien Shields here? It couldn't be to see her, right? Although the chances of him just happening to wander into Cafe Fiore were a million to one.

"Serena," he asked gently. "Are you all right?"

Again she nodded mutely, not quite paying attention. Her head was full of questions and she was almost in a daze. She'd forgotten the exact sound of his voice, and now she remembered it all too clearly. The deep husky tone that sent shivers down Serena's spine, the quiet undertone that reminded her that he was solely focussed on her.... It was all she could do not to break out in a hysterical giggles.

"Now you four!" Marsha waved her hand at table three. "Come with me! I will inform the manager of your behaviour. And I will personally be calling your parents, afterwards." The boys all cast sullen looks between each other, and one even shot a glare at Darien's back. But his attention was occupied elsewhere.

"Your hands," he murmured, taking hers into his own. They were cut and bleeding slightly, and they looked very sore.

"Why are you here?" Serena asked loudly, having snapped out of her reverie the moment he'd taken her hands. The whole cafe had been deadly silent for the past few minutes, and it looked like the patrons still considered the spectacle something to watch – not that Serena or Darien realised.

"I'm a wreck," Darien declared. "I'm just a paranoid wreck. I grew up in the spotlight, Serena. And I watched as my friends were scrutinised and critiqued, humiliated and crushed. It's no life for a person. And it drove me _crazy_." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "To think that I was pining over some journalist – a reporter! And for someone who works for Bruce Spork, too!" He clenched his teeth. "I know I didn't handle it very well, _you_ know I didn't handle it very well. My sister was furious with me at the time; I'd ruined her party to go on some tirade against two of the guests." He smirked and tilted his head. "Whether invited or not."

"But why are you _here_?" Serena repeated, gingerly removing her hands from his and gesturing to the floor.

"I never gave you the chance to explain that night. I'm an idiot. A stuck up, rich, arrogant idiot. I humiliated you in front of hundreds of people, you quit your job to work at a shop with shitty little punks for customers." Serena smiled at him slightly. "You've even got Amy cowering in her own workplace because people keep bombarding her, trying to find you. That's how I found you, by the way. Amy told me." Serena's eyes widened.

"So I'm saying sorry. For everything. And I want to take you out for dinner. Hear your side of the story. I want to get you another job, because I have connections. And I want to date you. I want to stop feeling like a lunatic because I'm always thinking about a girl I met once. Would that be okay? Could we start again?"

Serena's eyes filled up with happy tears. "You mean it?" she asked, hardly believing it herself. When he nodded, smiling widely at her, she leapt forward and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes!" They both laughed and the cafe suddenly thundered with applause. They both quickly sprang apart, looking embarrassed at their suddenly excited display, and glanced around.

As cafe patrons swarmed to congratulate the blushing couple, Marsha leant on the corner of the counter, back from the manager's office. She smiled as she caught Serena's eye, and shooed her out good naturedly. It looked like Serena had somewhere else to be now.

* * *

Amy clutched her green tea tightly; Scott had one hand curled around his coffee. Though their drinks had been served several minutes ago, and were well on their way to getting cold, neither had taken a sip yet. At first, it had just been simple small talk and was slightly awkward for both of them, as neither knew what to say. But now Scott felt ready enough to delve into the deeper conversation. To say what he had to get out in the open.

"Amy, the way you saw me react that night - that wasn't me. That wasn't who I am. I want you to know that I'm not mad at you, but I sure as heck am confused as to why you played along." His eyes softened, but Amy said nothing. What could she say, after all? Her friend dragged her into a party for a job assignment, and hadn't even told her where they were going until they were safely tucked away into the car, almost there? That sounded ridiculous to Amy's ears, and she wasn't about to repeat it out loud. It had to be the stupidest excuse in the book.

"I just want you to understand. I hated that I'd fallen for someone who could turn out to be someone completely different. Amy, you're the first girl I could ever see myself with, and mere hours after I'd met you, it seemed to blow up in my face. I could see myself talking with you about everything and anything. And to find out that you weren't who you said you were? To find out that our first conversation was built on a lie? It felt like I'd been punched in the stomach."

He dropped his eyes to the table as he ripped open a sugar packet and poured it into his coffee. Amy noted that his hands were shaking; though he either hid it well, or hadn't noticed. He spoke to the coffee cup as he continued. "It was torture, thinking of you, and trying not to. A completely useless attempt, I might add. But then, I started thinking about how life would have turned out if I hadn't acted so rash, so furious. I should have let you explain, Ames. But I was just too..." His eyes were pleading at her, willing her to understand, begging for her to say something.

"I..." Amy took a deep breath. She was nervous about admitting her feelings out loud, but she wanted Scott to know she reciprocated. "I... Scott. The moment I met you, I knew things were complicated. And I never expected things to work out. Not the way they'd started. And I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again if I told you I'd snuck in. I wasn't some petty criminal or anything, but..." she had to clear her thoughts before trying again. "And when you found out, in the _worst possible way._" She closed her eyes briefly. "It was so painful for me; for us – for all of us! You, me, Darien, Serena..." she trailed off again, shaking her head once more. "You and Darien were rightfully angry, and though I begged you to listen to my reason, I didn't know what to say." She avoided his eyes as she looked around at their surroundings. The small cafe they were in, The Coffee Club, as it was called, was a cute little shop she'd never noticed in the mall. And she worked there! She made a mental note to bring Serena there one time.

"A spark?" Scott suddenly asked. Amy slid her eyes back to him. His own eyes were deadly serious as they stared intently at her.

"Pardon?"

"A spark," he repeated. "You felt it, right? A... A spark... of awareness? Deep inside. Come on Ames, I know you felt it too." His gaze was once again pleading and Amy had to drop her hands under the table to hide how much they were shaking. She licked her lips.

"Yes," she whispered, lost in his eyes. "I felt it." But she needed to say something, before they got any further. "Scott, I understand how betrayed you felt at the party; you didn't have to explain that. But I have to say, that to me, that night - both the good parts and the bad - were unforgettable. And I'll always treasure it."

_Unforgettable._

That word. It ignited something inside of Scott; it reminded him of a song he'd written.

"Do you want to meet my band?" he asked, enthusiastically.

"What?" Amy asked, very much confused as to where the question had come from. That had not been the response she'd been expecting.

"We're working on a new song, and I want you to hear it. Say you'll come meet my band?"

Amy felt like a deer trapped in headlights under his penetrating gaze. "O...Okay?" The moment she'd agreed, she knew she'd said the right thing. A wide and all-knowing grin spread across Scott's face, and Amy couldn't help but do the same.

"Come on!" he told her, reaching across the table and pulling her hand out from under it. Grabbing his jacket with one hand, and tugging her up with him, he stood. Throwing a $20 bill on the table, he steered her out of the mall and to his car, ready to show her the inspiration she was to his music. Their drinks remained untouched and cold.

* * *

_Gosh, *fans self* I think I'm in love! Too bad he's a fictional boy :'( Has anyone ever had that? Where they've fallen in love with a fictional character, and wished with all their heart he was real and in love with you too? You should review and tell me so! Because I'm so super sad that I can never have him..... Sad face._

_Speaking of reviews, yes! Those who guessed Carmen Drive (me!), Blade Street (Alicia Blade), Cafe Fiore [and the flowershop next door as a bonus point] (Fiore from Promise of the Rose) and the reference to the Railway Station (a fellow fanfic accountee here) were all correct! Congratulations to you, children :)_

_And still on the subject of reviews, why don't you leave me a nice, fat one to read, telling me how much you loved (or otherwise what you did not) this chapter/the whole fic. Last chapter coming soon, I promise! ^_^_

_xx as always_

_C_


	10. Raye's 22nd

**AN:** Last chapter everybody! Thanks for reading as I posted, and a bigger thank you goes to those who kindly reviewed! ^_^ But the biggest thanks of all has to go to Kaitlyn Fall for betaing every chapter (and the chapters they were previously - something you will never see!)! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

**Diclaimer**: None of the characters belong to me, and neither does the ending song (I beleive it's the Music Kitchen that does? They had the rights for it back in the 90's... I remember!).

_Also, as the chapter title might have told you, this is set a year later. So it's half epilogue, half chapter! Enjoy xx_

* * *

The crowd cheered as the band finished their last song. The Blue Chairs were quite famous now, and Raye nearly laughed when she saw some of her most poised friends go wild with the rest of the crowd. The success they'd had since releasing their first album had been phenomenal, and Raye was going to use her new found connection with the band as much as she could – beginning with performing at her birthday party.

Scott shook the hair from his eyes and searched through the crowd for his girlfriend. Finding her sandwiched between Raye and Serena, blushing, he winked at her and raised a hand.

"Ladies and gentleman, meet the inspiration for Unforgettable, Amy Anderson!"

Amy's cheeks melted from one shade of crimson to the next as everyone in the audience turned to her. Ducking her head, she bit her lip, mentally vowing to punish Scott later somehow. His laughter echoed across the room as he ducked out of his guitar strap and jumped off the stage. The crowd parted as the band began mingling with the guests again, and Raye made her way up the stairs, now something of a singer herself. She'd dropped the 'Politian's Daughter' tag and adopted a new one as her musical career kicked off.

Arms circled Amy from her left, and she looked up to see Scott's grinning face. "Did you like that?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No!" she hit him on the arm. "Why did you point me out?"

Scott nuzzled Amy's neck and she had to concentrate to hear him over her loudly thumping heart. "Because I want everyone to know what a beautiful girlfriend I have, and that she inspired that song."

Amy's cheeks could turn red no more and the fight drained out of her. She loved it when Scott called her beautiful. "Oh Scott," she sighed, turning in his arms so that she could hug him properly.

Serena rolled her eyes at the mushy scene beside her and turned to find Darien. Sashaying her hips to the music as Raye sung her newest song, she danced her way over to the drinks, where Darien was caught up in a conversation with Ann. Serena watched as he tried to politely end the conversation, and she giggled, wondering whether or not she should intervene. When he spotted her watching, his eyes turned pleading, and he jerked his head, calling her over.

Serena tapped her chin thoughtfully as she pretended to consider it, but in seconds, she heard Darien say loudly, "Excuse me, Ann, if you don't mind, I see my girlfriend over there and..." His sentence was drowned out by a loud squeal.

"Oh Serena!" Ann Moreau spotted her. Serena quickly poured herself a glass of wine, feeling like she would need it, and pasted on a smile.

"Hi Ann! How are you?"

Ann twirled as her red dress flared around her. "I look quite beautiful tonight, no?"

Serena almost snorted at Ann's 'modesty'. "Yes Ann, you look lovely."

"Oh, I know!" she cooed, before catching her reflection in a silver jug as a waiter passed. "Ooooh!" she trailed after the waiter, eyes on the jug.

Darien sighed in relief. "I thought I'd never get rid of her!"

"Mmm," Serena nodded. "I wondered where you'd gotten to... You were missing for Amy's entire song! I hadn't realised you'd been cornered by your favourite mademoiselle."

Darien narrowed his eyes at her as she poured him a drink. "Without Alan here, she's a complete puppy. Following me around, asking how she looks..." He groaned. "There's only so many times you can tell her she looks beautiful before you want to hit her with the Ugly Stick."

"So that's what you were talking about?" Serena handed him his drink. "How beautiful she is?" Her lips quirked.

"Well, I had no choice! It's the only thing she'll talk about."

"Awww! My widdle Dare-bear got trapped talking to a gorgeous woman about her beauty!" Serena reached forward and pinched his cheek, tugging it this way and that. He growled playfully and caught her wrist, pulling her towards him for a kiss.

When they broke apart, he pressed his forehead against hers. "You're the only beautiful woman in my eyes."

Serena giggled and leaned in for another kiss.

"Oh yuck!" someone said as they walked past. "I can't believe she went with the pink! After I told her _I_ was going to be wearing it."

Serena grinned against Darien's lips and turned to face her look-a-like. "Mina, you told me you were wearing blue. Besides, you're just jealous I have arm candy and you don't!"

Mina laughed and twinkled her fingers at them. "Just kidding, darling! You look gorgeous. Speaking of arm candy..." She trailed off as a handsome man walked past. Eyeing him hungrily, she grabbed an empty glass and a bottle of wine from the table and stalked in the same direction.

"Looks like Mina's after another one!" Lita laughed as she reached for some strawberries on the snack table, her engagement ring glinting brightly as it was caught in the lights.

"No kidding," grinned Andrew as he came up behind Darien, clapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. He reached for the chocolate truffles. "So, given any thought to our offer yet?"

"Like you had to ask." Darien rolled his eyes. Serena frowned in confusion, so Darien explained. "Andrew and Lita asked if we'd like to be part of the wedding. Best man and one of the bridesmaids."

Serena gasped and clapped her hands together. "Really?" She spun to Lita, who was chewing on a strawberry. "Really, Leets?" Lita nodded, grinning with pink-stained teeth. "Oh my gosh! I'd love to! And Darien," she turned back to her boyfriend, who was eyeing her with amusement. "Imagine how handsome you'd be in a tux! God, you're so gorgeous!" She barrelled into him and hugged him tightly.

He raised his eyebrows in amazement at their friends. "Guess she said it for the both of us."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I AM ONLEE "OKAY LOOKING"?!" Ann could be heard screeching from the balcony. Lita, Andrew, Darien and Serena looked up as Ann stormed past them, furiously digging around in her purse.

"Guess she's going to call Alan," Andrew shrugged, unfazed. "Say, why did those two break up anyway? They made such a nice couple," he smirked as the others sniggered.

The turned to the stage as Raye began a new song. It was her highest charting hit so far, and it was a personal favourite of Serena and Darien's. After all, Raye had written it after being inspired by Serena and Darien's romance. Spotting Amy and Scott slow dancing on the makeshift dance floor, Serena grinned and grabbed Darien's hand.

"Come on, it's our song!" she whispered excitedly, bounding forward and dragging Darien along.

_I've waited all of my life_

Darien's arms circled Serena's waist as they joined the couples swaying to the love song.

_For the day when love appears_

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Darien murmured into Serena's hair.

_Like a fairy tale in days of old_

She nodded and snuggled further into his embrace.

_He will rescue me from my fears._

The circled slowly, just content with being in each other's arms. It was moments like these that reminded them that the beginning of their relationship, the rocky part, had been well worth it.

_And now suddenly he walks in, like a dream_

_And how can I tell him what he means to me?_

_My heart stands still - has he come?_

Serena wouldn't have been surprised if fireworks had begun going off outside- not that she wouldn't put it past Raye to do something like that. It was a perfect moment; just like in a movie. She loved it.

_Oh starry night_

_Is he the one that I dream of?_

_Oh starry night_

_Tell me, is he my own true love?_

Darien and Serena, Amy and Scott, every couple on the dance floor relished the quiet moment as they lost themselves in their own little worlds.

_And I sit patiently, waiting for a sign_

_And I hope that his heart longs for mine_

_He calls my name, is he the one?_

_Oh starry night_

_Is he the one that I dream of?_

_Oh starry night_

_Tell me, is he my own true love?_

_Oh starry night_

_Is he the one that I dream of?_

_Oh starry night_

_How will I know_

_Will his love show?_

_Is he my own true love?_

* * *

_Okay! Last chapter is up, and the fic is now complete! ^_^ You won't hear from me for a while, while I work on two long fics (summaries are in the profile), so keep reading and reviewing! Drabbles are the only thing I'll be posting for the next two months, I think. So enjoy your October and November everyone! Hope it's not too quiet._

_xx_

_C_


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